Miniaturized laser amplifier arrangement having a pump source

Abstract

A laser amplifier arrangement includes an optical pump source and an axially arranged laser oscillator-amplifier configuration pumped by the pump radiation. The laser oscillator-amplifier configuration includes a laser oscillator excitable by a portion of the pump radiation to emit a laser beam, and a laser amplifier that amplifies the laser beam using the pump radiation. The laser oscillator and laser amplifier are arranged in a substantially coaxial or collinear manner relative to a longitudinal axis of the laser oscillator-amplifier configuration. The pump source includes a first beam source for producing a first pump radiation to pump the laser oscillator, a second beam source for producing a second pump radiation for the laser amplifier, and a pump radiation conducting device, by means of which both the first and the second pump radiation can be lead into the laser oscillator-amplifier configuration substantially in the direction of the longitudinal axis for longitudinal pumping.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A laser amplifier arrangement comprising:
 an optical pump source for emitting pump radiation; and 
 an axially arranged laser oscillator/amplifier configuration, which is configured to be pumped by the pump radiation, 
 wherein the laser oscillator/amplifier configuration is a laser oscillator which configured to be excited by a part of the pump radiation to emit a laser beam, and comprises a laser amplifier configured to receive both the laser beam and pump radiation so as to amplify the laser beam using the pump radiation, 
 wherein the pump source is configured to introduce the pump radiation into the laser/amplifier configuration at a first longitudinal end of the laser/amplifier configuration, which lies opposite a second longitudinal end of the laser/amplifier configuration at which amplified laser radiation emerges, 
 wherein the laser oscillator and the laser amplifier are arranged coaxially or collinearly with respect to a longitudinal axis of the laser oscillator/amplifier configuration, and 
 wherein the pump source comprises a first beam source configured to generate first pump radiation for pumping the laser oscillator, a second beam source configured to generate second pump radiation for the laser amplifier and a common pump radiation guide device configured to guide both the first and the second pump radiation, by which both the first and the second pump radiation is introduced into the laser oscillator/amplifier configuration at the first longitudinal end for longitudinal pumping in a same direction of the longitudinal axis. 
 
     
     
       2. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first beam source and the second beam source are configured to operate independently of one another, so that the laser oscillator is optically pumped by the first pump radiation and the laser amplifier is optically pumped by the second pump radiation, independently of one another. 
     
     
       3. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first beam source is a first diode laser or the second beam source is a second diode laser or is formed by a plurality of second diode lasers. 
     
     
       4. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first or second beam source is fiber-coupled to the laser oscillator/amplifier configuration. 
     
     
       5. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the pump radiation guide device comprises a first optical fiber configured to guide the first pump radiation and a second optical fiber configured to guide the second pump radiation. 
     
     
       6. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the pump radiation guide device comprises an optical fiber line in which the at least one first optical fiber and the at least one second optical fiber are combined for parallel guiding of the pump radiations. 
     
     
       7. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein in the optical fiber line, the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber extend coaxially or parallel to one another. 
     
     
       8. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the pump radiation guide device comprises a fiber bundle consisting of a plurality of second optical fibers configured to guide the second pump radiation. 
     
     
       9. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein in the optical fiber line, the first optical fiber extends centrally inside the second optical fiber or centrally inside a fiber bundle consisting of a plurality of second optical fibers. 
     
     
       10. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the second beam source is of substantially higher power than the first beam source. 
     
     
       11. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  1 , wherein an optical deviation device is configured to guide the second pump radiation past the laser oscillator to the laser amplifier. 
     
     
       12. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the optical deviation device comprises a collimator/lens device configured to collimate the second pump radiation in such a way that the second pump radiation travels quasi-parallel over a defined path. 
     
     
       13. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the deviation device is configured so that the second pump radiation travels around the laser oscillator. 
     
     
       14. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the laser oscillator is arranged inside or on the defined path and has a cross-section that is substantially smaller than a cross-section of the second pump radiation guided over the path by the deviation device. 
     
     
       15. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the collimator/lens device comprises a collimator lens or an entry face, configured as a collimator lens, of a lens unit. 
     
     
       16. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the deviation device comprises a first aperture configured for passage of the first pump radiation, unaffected by the deviation device, to the laser oscillator. 
     
     
       17. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the first aperture extends centrally or coaxially with the longitudinal axis through the collimator/lens arrangement. 
     
     
       18. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the first or second beam source is fiber-coupled to the laser oscillator/amplifier configuration, the pump radiation guide device comprises a first optical fiber configured to guide the first pump radiation and a second optical fiber configured to guide the second pump radiation, and the first optical fiber is fed through the first aperture to the laser oscillator. 
     
     
       19. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the laser oscillator comprises a laser crystal. 
     
     
       20. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein the laser crystal is combined with a passive or active Q-switch. 
     
     
       21. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the laser oscillator or a laser crystal thereof is arranged on a holder through which the second pump radiation can travel past the laser oscillator or laser crystal. 
     
     
       22. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a first focusing lens is configured before an input coupling face of the laser oscillator, in order to focus the first pump radiation into the laser oscillator. 
     
     
       23. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein the distance of the first focusing lens from the input coupling face is adjustable or variable. 
     
     
       24. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a focusing lens device is configured to focus the second pump radiation guided past the laser oscillator or around the laser oscillator onto the laser amplifier. 
     
     
       25. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 24 , wherein the focusing lens device arranged between the laser oscillator and the laser amplifier has a second aperture for passage of the laser beam, unaffected by the focusing lens device, from the laser oscillator to the laser amplifier. 
     
     
       26. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 24 , wherein the focusing lens device has a focusing lens or an exit face, acting as a focusing lens, of a lens unit. 
     
     
       27. The laser amplifier arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the laser amplifier arrangement is part of
 a robot-mounted laser, 
 a miniaturized transmitter for LIDAR systems, 
 a laser transmitter for use in space, or 
 a pump laser for optically nonlinear processes.